1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and systems of alerting callers to surcharges prior to completing phone calls.
2. Background Art
Phone calls, whether they are wireless (cellular, satellite, VoIP) or wireline (plain old telephone (POTs)), are completed by routing signals from one location to another, generally between a calling party and a called party. Service providers may include features, networks, and/or other mediums to facilitate routing the signals from location to location. For some calls, a service provider may rely on services provided by another service provider in order to complete the call.
For exemplary purposes, the servicing of calls between multiple service providers may be referred to as servicing calls between affiliated and non-affiliated providers. In some instances, the non-affiliated provider may charge the affiliated provider a fee for accessing its services. The fees are typically charged on a per phone call basis. These one-time fees may be referred to as surcharges and are typically independent of other parameters associated with the call, such as call length, calling plan, etc. The non-affiliated provider typically bills the affiliated provider for the surcharge at some time after the phone call is completed. The affiliated provider then bills their customer.
One problem with servicing phone calls with a non-affiliated provider is that the customer making the call may be unaware of the surcharges associated therewith. This can be problematic for new customers who may not be aware of the fees or even for existing customers if they are unaware of rate plan changes.